Hiawassee, Ga. – The Murphy boys basketball team put on a scoring seminar in the opening game of the Battle of the States Tournament last week.
The Bulldogs had three players in double figures as they dispatched Coosa (3-8) 72-51. Dominick Rummler led all scorers with 22 points, Zach Skogen added 14 and Xander Wachacha took care of the perimeter shooting, with three 3-pointers and a field goal for 11 points.
The Dogs jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the first period and never looked back. Rummler issued notice early in the game that the paint belonged to him, scoring eight points in the first half, with one slam for emphasis. Zach Skogen reminded fans that Rummler wasn’t the only Dog to play at the top of the rim as he added another dunk to helped Murphy lead 40-19 at halftime.
The Dogs extended their lead to 62-33 by the end of the third quarter, and coach Eric Laney started resting his starters early in the fourth period. Bradley Golden scored four points in the fourth quarter, while Cale Harger and Will Joyner added a 3-pointer apiece.
The win set up another rematch with Union County (10-2). Murphy beat Union County 63-49 at Blairsville on Dec. 5, but Union came to Murphy and defeated the Bulldogs 59-51 on Dec. 21 Union advanced to the semifinal game with a 70-66 win over Franklin (6-3).
Murphy’s third matchup against the Panthers started about as bad as it could have, and the Dogs fell to the Panthers 45-41 in the semifinal game of the tournament. Midway through the first quarter, Rummler picked up his third foul; shortly thereafter, Xander Wachacha got his third as well, taking out two of Murphy’s top scorers.
Skogen picked up the slack inside for the Dogs, scoring 12 points with several rebounds to keep the Dogs close, as they only trailed 19-18 at the half. Rummler returned in the second half, but Union was still able to extend its lead 36-30.
Murphy fought back and closed to within two with seconds left in the game. Wachacha stole an inbound pass and sank a tying basket, but a late whistle and his fifth foul gave Union two free throws to net the final score of 45-41.
Murphy will host Hiawassee Dam on Thursday. The Bulldogs travels to Andrews on Friday.